Richard Landry (born 1957) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

architect. Known as the "King of the Megamansion," he has designed many private residences for corporate moguls and celebrities in

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

Early life and education

Richard Landry grew up speaking French in Berthierville,

Québec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, and his father was a carpenter.Michael Webb
Rural Echoes in Malibu
''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internati ...

'', June 2001 At the age of twenty, he moved to

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

to study architecture. He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte- ...

, in Québec, Canada, and a Diploma in Architecture and Urban Design from

Københavns Universitet The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Un ...

, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Career

Landry started his career in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

, Canada. He moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1984 because of a recession in Canada, and he was lured by the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

. He initially worked for R. Duell & Associates, an architectural firm where he designed theme parks. Landry founded his architectural firm, the Landry Design Group, in the 1987.Local architect honored
'' The Malibu Times'', April 10, 2013 Since then, he has designed over 500 private residences, including some for

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

. In 1995, he designed a residence for

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

. Additionally, the rented mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles where

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...

died was also designed by Landry. Landry designed the Villa del Lago in

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

, a bluffside mansion with views of Lake Sherwood and the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

, which was selected by Robb Report as their Ultimate Home in 2013. He designed a , 28-bedroom mansion with footridges between buildings in

, which was originally the location of the private residence of

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

. A

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...

villa in the gated community of Mulholland Estates in the

Beverly Hills Post Office Beverly Hills Post Office (BHPO) is the name given to a section of Los Angeles, California, that lies within the 90210 ZIP code, assigned to the Beverly Hills Post Office. Los Angeles mailing addresses with the ZIP code 90210 may be writte ...

was an older project designed by Landry Design Group and built in 2000. It was sold for US$5.200 million in 2011.Nicole Larson
Richard Landry-Designed Beverly Hills Mansion For $5.499 Million
''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', April 26, 2011 Examples of his designs are a

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

residence in Los Angeles, a Spanish-style home in Pacific Palisades, and another residence in Palos Verdes Estates, California. Landry has been on the Architectural Digest's AD100 list four times since 2000. In 2004 he was presented with the prestigious "Stars of Design" award from the Pacific Design Center and in 2007 he became a part of the "Robb Report Recommended" list of best architects. In July 2013 Richard Landry's name appeared on the cover of Robb Report's special issue of Best of the Best celebrating the Leaders of Luxury. For four consecutive years (2010–2013) homes designed by Richard Landry and Landry Design Group were selected by Robb Report for its Ultimate Home. Landry is a member of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...

(AIA) and is a licensed architect in the states of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Washington. He is also certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).

Personal life

Landry resides in

, with an additional chalet in

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

and a house in his native Québec. He has a daughter named Samantha. He is gay and lives with his male partner, Christoper Drugan, since 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Landry, Richard 1957 births Living people People from Lanaudière French Quebecers Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian architects Architects from Quebec Architects from Los Angeles People from Malibu, California Université de Montréal alumni University of Copenhagen alumni 20th-century Canadian LGBT people 21st-century Canadian LGBT people 20th-century architects 21st-century architects Canadian gay men